The Adventure to Happily Ever After Begins Here

What Are You Waiting For?

Okay, so at some point in January I screamed to the Facebook rafters that I was D-O-N-E my latest project, Waiting for Autumn. Naturally, my friends and family have all been bugging me about when it’s going to come out. Seems like I’ve been sitting here for months on end doing what? Nobody knows.

I promise, I’ve been one busy little bee!

It’s fun to talk to folks and it’s exciting to me how they are interested in the process of what it takes to write and make a book. Where do writers come up with the ideas? How long does it take to write? When will you publish it? How will you publish it?

Ladies and gents, please turn your attention to the lady behind the curtain.

My favorite question is always where did I come up with the idea for a certain book. It depends on the book. Rising Ridge was born from a trope idea I had. Being in love with the boy next door who was WAY too old for you then, but not so much now. The dreamer? Well, my husband asked me to tell him what an incoming text on his phone said. It wasn’t what the text said, it was the 5 seconds it took between picking up his phone and reading the message to him. That five seconds planted a seed. And that’s all book ideas really are, seeds planted. The best part of it is, you never know when that process begins. I’m constantly taking moments and plucking them out of my timeline, rearranging them in my head, and going off on a wild goose chase… I even made a fun chart to show you how it works. This would be the evolution of how we got from the seeds being planted to a book being written. We’ll use Waiting for Autumn since it’s fresh in my mind.

Yup, that’s how waiting for Autumn was born. I heard a song, it was beautiful. It made me think of all the loves that never were, and how it would be great if I could give them their love stories. Oh, wait a minute, I’m a writer. I totally can.

And thus began my workflow. You’d think writing the story would be the hard part. Nope. I was done that way back in January, remember? So what gives? Where’s the book? The actual story is such a small part of the picture. If you’ve ever wondered how the making of a book works, or more specifically how the making of a book works for me then wonder no more, my friends. Check out how my ideas become a book.

Every writer has a different method, this is mine. For Now. I have a young family, and they come first, so I cram all of that stuff up there into two glorious days a week. Right now I’m playing the waiting game with Waiting for Autumn. Publishers can take up to 90 days to return submissions, and even then they’ve only looked at your first so many pages. A glimpse really, where your big goal is to get an invite to send the entire manuscript and wait up to 90 more days.

I’m a lucky duck with this project, seems I did come out swinging! I sent a sample out to my *hopeful* new publisher and did get a very kind email inviting me to send the entire manuscript back. I eagerly await the reply that they could take all of April to send. They could love it, or they could love it enough to have their editors go to town on it. Or they could laugh my manuscript right into the slush pile. I don’t fear the slush pile. You know what kind of work is there? Gone with The Wind, The Diary of a Young Girl (Anne Frank), Peter Rabbit, Little Women, A Wrinkle in Time, and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. All of these books, and so many more were passed up by at least one publisher.

While I’m giving the floor to and waiting to hear back from one particular, I love this book so much that I’m happy to send it to a dozen more publishers and agents if need be. That’s about how many times Harry Potter was passed up if you were wondering.

So, like you, I’m Waiting for Autumn.

Guys, seriously, I am so excited about this book. I can’t wait for you to fall in love with the cast of characters who live in this world. I look forward to keeping you posted on all exciting news. Until then, the fun and games of setting up the next book have begun.

Now, if you’ll excuse me. I have to return a phone call to a wilderness survivalist in Maine.